All is love
by Miss92
Summary: There was only one girl who ever denied James Potter. Now he is a famous Quidditch player and meets her again, he is determined to win her over. Not even wearing make-up will scare him away.
1. Prologue

**All is love**

_Prologue_

"My experience is that when you're young, you believe everything. Spinach gives you muscles, your father is the strongest man on the planet, good always wins over evil and one day you'll marry the love of your life.

But one day you'll wake up and find that you're not young anymore. You'll wake up to find that you have grown up and you'll realise that maybe spinach really doesn't give you muscles and that your father didn't turn out to be the strongest man on the planet.

You wake up to find that this time evil won over good and that your father, the former-strongest man on the planet, hadn't been able to stop it. And then you realise that maybe, just maybe, you won't marry the love of your life after all.

You grow older and you grow more unhappy and the only moments you still feel as innocent and happy as you were before you came to all these conclusions, are the moments that you realise you love someone more than life itself. Because when you have those moments of realisation, you don't think about how stupid and unfair life can be. At those moments you realise that love is everything.

So, spinach doesn't really give you muscles, your father didn't turn out to be the strongest and evil sometimes wins over good, but in the end we all have love. And love we can believe in. We can believe that when we love everything will turn out all right.

But in the end, love is like believing your father is the strongest man on the planet. You have to believe in it or else, it will prove you wrong."

That was what he had prepared to tell her if he would stop her rushing out of the scarlet Hogwarts' Express. But once he had stopped her, something had stopped him. The words wouldn't come. And he realised that he had blown his last chance to ever be with her.

When his hand had stopped him, she had turned around. Her soft and warm hand wrapping around his, while she lightly squeezed it. "I will miss you, James Potter," she had said. A sad smile had been gracing her pink lips and he hadn't known what to say. He had completely forgotten everything he had wanted to say and she had let go of his hand, turned around and her red hair disappeared in the crowds at the station.

He had stood on the platform, frozen for about four minutes, before his friend had punched his shoulder lightly. Not even his best friend had been able to cheer him up. All was lost. He had not believed, not strong enough and now he wished that he was young again, so that his believe would not have failed him.

So, that he would have her now.

**Author's note: **A short prologue to give you a bit of insight in the story. I realise I haven't finished "Suffering from Irony" and "Flowers" yet, but Valentine is fastly approaching and this story is posted because of this loving day. I will still update my other stories, since this one will only be short. I'm thinking about 6 chapters. Hope you liked this so far, let me know what you think, so review please!


	2. Puddlemere United

**_Of course, all credit goes to J.K. Rowling for making up my favourite couple in the Harry Potter Universe. Thank you for that. For now I only have to add that some parts of this story are based on a movie. But most of it, is all mine (and J.K.R.'s, of course)._**

**All is love**

_Chapter 1: Puddlemere United_

No. A big no.

It was the word that she had been saying out loud all day when she had heard where she would be going for the day. She would not willingly climb on a broomstick, not even if she probably would get fired if she didn't. It was not for nothing that Lily Evans had never played Quidditch at Hogwarts before and always rather went to _see_ the matches than participate in one.

Lily Evans did not like to say it out loud, but she had a fear of heights.

Not even the fact that she and the other young healers were allowed to play in the stadium of 'Puddlemere United' persuaded her to climb on her broom and to kick off the ground. She would not enjoy the view better if she were up there, even though her friend and fellow healer in training Dorcas Meadowes claimed otherwise.

"It's fantastic, Lily!" her friend yelled. Lily felt her stomach turn twice when she looked at the sky and found her friend. She would not step on a broom; it was as simple as that.

"Miss Evans," said the kind voice of one of the healers that had been teaching her for six months now. "Please, climb on your broom, so that we can start the match!"

"I am afraid of heights," she said as she turned towards the healer. Lily felt herself shrink under the cold stare of the stern healer. She somehow always felt like an eleven-year old when she was near the somewhat cold woman.

"The view is extraordinary, Lily!" said Evan Parker, also a healer in training. Lily and Dorcas had spent a lot of giggles on the boy, as he was quite extraordinary. His voice was quite high and he just loved gossiping. "You absolutely _must _come up here! We still need another beater!"

Her hands were trembling as she climbed on her broom, earning an approving nod from the stern healer, and she kicked off. She immediately felt her stomach turning and she was sure she was as pale as a ghost when she finally opened her eyes and reached Dorcas and Evan.

"Yay!" Evan exclaimed and he clapped in his hands. "Lily, you are on our team. You will be our beater, I am chaser! Fabulous, don't you think?" Lily did not answer, but it did not stop Evan from talking. "I think these team-bounding trips are just _amazing_."

Dorcas snorted and looked down at the broom she was sitting on. "If you think riding on a stick is amazing," she mumbled.

Evan scowled. "You are no fun!" he said and shook his head. "Don't you two realise how fortunate we are to fly in the stadium of 'Puddlemere United'? Maybe we'll even meet some of the players!"

Evan flew off, leaving both Dorcas and Lily together. Dorcas eyed Lily, who had turned even paler at the mention of meeting the players of the famous Quidditch team. "We won't meet the players, Lily," she said reassuringly and Lily nodded.

Dorcas was right. Why would those rich and very famous Quidditch players pay any attention to healers in training who were playing a Quidditch match for the sake of team-bounding? Still, she could not really stop the fluttering of her heart as she thought about one of those rich and famous Quidditch players, the top scorer of the Quidditch league.

"Lily! We're playing!" Evan flew past her and handed her a bat. She quickly took it and started flying as well.

Her hands were sweating and she did not dare look at the green field so far underneath her, for she was sure she would off her broom if she did. And to her surprise it went quite well. She saved Dorcas from a nasty bludger that had been following her around and hit it in the other direction with a surprising force, earning appreciative looks from her fellow healers in training.

A long time had past and Lily found herself feeling more and more at ease and she found herself even enjoying being up in the air. The wind blowing her red hair out of her face and making her feel as light as a feather… yes, she was contented and happy that she had dared step on a broom.

"Lily!"

The scream had come to late. Lily felt something hit her broom and her hands let go from the shock of actually being hit in the air. She felt herself tumbling down and she let out a high scream. She was sure that she was going to break several bones when she would hit the ground or would she be so hurt that she would not be able to feel any more pain?

She would never know, because she felt two strong arms catch her and she immediately ended her scream. She did not dare open her eyes for another five seconds for she was afraid that she had actually hit the ground and was not hallucinating, but then she heard a voice.

"Are you okay, Lily?"

She opened her eyes and felt her face flush. "James Potter," she let out with a gasp.

***

James blessed his reflexes as the beautiful redhead looked up at him. Her green eyes were wide, while her cheeks were flushed and her mouth was opened in a big 'o'. He couldn't help but smile down at the girl and he couldn't believe his own luck.

"That would be me," he grinned and saw the face of the redhead slowly change from surprised to more serious. "Didn't I tell you that you should never fly again after you crashed into me during our first flying lesson?"

She only grinned back sheepishly and mumbled something about being forced to fly before she shook her head and looked at him again. "What are you doing here?" she asked. He grinned again, when the redhead hit her head with the palm of her hand. "Oh, _duh_! You play for 'Puddlemere United'!"

He nodded and felt his feet touch the ground. "I do," he said with a brilliant smile and he was surprised to find a blush appear on the redhead's face. "I hope you do support my team!" He got off his broom and carefully planted Lily with both of her feet on the ground, sending her a smile.

"Merlin," he heard a high male voice say from his right, "it really is him!"

He however did not really pay attention to the people surrounding them and only winked at Lily. "I should probably go," he said, "do be more careful up there!"

"Yes, or no," she said and her cheeks turned pink, "I mean, I'm not going up there again."

He grinned and turned around, feeling the redhead's stare follow him until he had closed the door behind him. "Lily Evans," he mumbled to himself and shook his head. "Merlin, that was Lily Evans…"

***

"Did I really look that stupid?" she asked nervously as she hugged her knees when she sat on her sofa. Dorcas handed her a mug filled with hot chocolate and sent her a sympathetic smile.

"I think you must have scared him," Dorcas said, a smile playing at her lips, "you didn't look like Lily Evans at all. Giggling, swooning, holding him, adoring him, flirting with him…"

"Gosh," Lily said to herself and she shook her head. "Do you think he noticed?"

Dorcas let out a loud laugh. "I surely think he did! With all the blushing you did!"

Lily put her hot chocolate on the table and let out a heavy sigh. "Well, that's it then," she said and closed her eyes as she let herself fall back on the sofa. "He finally knows that in the end he got what he wanted. Lily Evans fell for him…"

"Literally," Dorcas said with a smile and Lily groaned. "So, are you going to owl him?"

Lily snorted and opened her eyes. "I don't think so," she said, "his head is big enough without me writing to him and confirming his suspicion of me actually liking him."

"He isn't all that bad, is he?" Dorcas asked and eyed her friend. "He did save you after all. The least you could do is show him some gratitude…"

"And then the next thing you know, I am crying over him, because he got bored with me," Lily said and squeezed a pillow in her hands. "No, thank you very much. I am bitter enough without him crushing me."

Dorcas let out a sigh. "That's just it! When is the last time you ever let yourself enjoy the company of a man?" Lily opened her mouth to make a comment, but Dorcas stopped her. "We're leaving Evan out of this, because he is most likely not attracted to the opposite gender…" Lily was quiet as she looked at her fingernails and Dorcas sighed again. "You're eighteen! Let yourself enjoy a bit of a snog once in a while!"

Lily picked up her hot chocolate and took a sip, smiling up at her friend. "So, we did win the match in the end, didn't we?"

Dorcas sighed heavily and rolled her eyes at her friend. "Yes, Lily, we did."

***

He could still picture her surprised face looking up at him and he could still feel his heart flutter when he pictured the blush that had been gracing her cheeks when he had sent a smile in her direction. He had not felt this satisfied, or light-headed even, in months and he came to the conclusion that he liked having this feeling again.

He had thought he would never see Lily Evans again when he had not said what he had wanted to say, but today he had seen her again and he would see her again. That was what he knew for sure. He had to see her again, because their meeting today had left him wanting more. Had left him wanting to hold her in his arms for the rest of his life.

"Prongs," said a familiar voice and a loud knock was heard on the door. "Do you want to get drunk together with Remus, Peter and me?"

James walked towards the door and opened it to reveal his three grinning friends. Sirius was leaning immediately walked into James' apartment and Peter followed. Remus sent him a smile and then also entered.

"I don't remember saying that I wanted to see you guys drunk again," he said and shook his head at his friends that had made themselves comfortable on his couch with a bottle of Firewhisky on the table.

"It's Friday night," said Sirius as though that explained everything.

James shook his head again as he sat himself down on the floor and grabbed the bottle of Firewhisky to take a sip from it. He had not intention of getting drunk, but he would not spoil his friends' fun. Once he had swallowed the liquid he closed his eyes.

"I saw Lily today," he said and his friends that had been talking rather loudly all stopped at once. "She looked beautiful, like always, really."

Sirius, who chuckled lightly, broke the silence. "Really, are you drunk already?"

James ignored his friend's comment and heard how Peter and Sirius picked up their earlier conversation, but James could feel Remus' stare on him. He opened his eyes and looked into the eyes of his sensible friend and shrugged. Remus smiled and shrugged as well and engaged himself into the loud conversation again.

James listened to his friends and felt a smile play at his lips. They might think he was drunk, because he mentioned Lily again. But he knew one thing for sure: he would see her again.

**Author's Note: **I hope you all liked this chapter. The complete story should be up in a week time. Since I've already written the second, third and fourth chapter yesterday as well. I'm going to complete chapter 5 to 7 today hopefully. The story will be seven chapters, ladies and gentlemen! Anyway... I hope you'll enjoy reading this. I personally like the next chapters better. But... it's all up to you to decide which one is best, of course. Please leave a review and let me know what you think!


	3. Toilet Talk

**All is love**

_Chapter 2: Toilet Talk_

She was late. Very late.

She could not believe her own luck when she woke up at least half an hour later than she should have. She had not set her alarm, probably because she had been too busy to stop herself from thinking about James Potter's arms wrapped around hers. This probably also was the very reason for the bags she wore under her eyes and her paler than usual face.

"Oh dear Merlin, did you even look in the mirror before you left your apartment?" asked Evan as she walked towards him, pushing a strand of her hair out of her face and glaring at the comment he had just made.

"Good morning to you too, Evan," she said as she grabbed a few papers that she had to read before visiting her patients from the desk. "I take it you actually slept well, because your remarks are as witty as always…"

She heard Evan sigh and she looked at him again. "Lily dear, please fresh yourself up a bit before you see any of your patients," he said and wore a pitying look on his face. "You poor thing, you must have dreamt about falling off your broom all night, you gave me such a fright!"

"Thank you for worrying, Evan," she mumbled as she put the papers back on the desk and decided to actually take Evan's advice into account. She reached the ladies' bathroom and walked in.

She sighed heavily as she looked at herself in the mirror. She supposed that Evan had been right. She looked quite awful. Her white skin contrasting with her auburn hair. Her green eyes seemed to have lost all of their brightness and they looked tired.

She washed her hands and then splashed her face with a bit of water when she heard the door to the ladies' room open and close again. She reached for a bit of paper to clean her face when she saw Dorcas enter with a bright smile on her face.

"Lily," she said, her voice sounding just as excited as she looked, "you will never guess who is here!"

Sighing Lily turned towards her friend as she dried her face with a bit of paper. "Let me guess, you are just as witty as Evan this morning and came to warn me for the fashion police…"

Dorcas chuckled lightly and punched Lily's shoulder. "No, you silly cow!" she said and then squealed. "It's James Potter! He's standing at the front desk!"

She felt her breath get caught in her throat and she actually thought that her heart had stopped its beating for a few seconds, before she could feel it pump again. "What happened then?" she asked, trying to sound as indifferent as possible. "Did he break his arm while throwing the quaffle or something?"

"No!" Dorcas said and she grabbed Lily's shoulders tightly. "Evan noticed him first, of course, you know how he is. So, he walked up to him, asking if he could help James with something and then James said: 'I am looking for Lily Evans.'"

Lily turned towards the mirror and saw the same pale face with bags under the eyes stare back at her. She looked numb and tired. Not pretty at all and she took a deep breath before turning to Dorcas with an ignorant look on her face and said…

***

"She doesn't give a hoot?" James asked. He was confused beyond everything. He had been sure that Lily Evans would willingly see him again after he had saved her the day before and she had blushed more than once when he had sent a smile in her direction.

"That's what she said," said Dorcas apologetically.

James frowned slightly and did not really listen to anything else that Dorcas said. He could only think about the fact that he needed to see Lily again, to talk to her, so that he could tell her what he had planned to tell her when their last train ride home from Hogwarts had ended.

"Where is she?" he asked and Dorcas pointed to a door on her left that read: ladies' room. James swallowed before he made a move and opened the door to the bathroom. There was no one in there, as far as he could see, but he knew Lily had to be in there for he had not seen her leave the bathroom while he stood waiting outside.

"Lily?" he asked tentatively. No noise was heard or made and James had almost given up hope until he heard something or someone shift behind one of the locked doors to the toilets.

He straightened his back and walked towards the door, knocking softly. "Lily?" he asked again. Again no noise was made, but he knew she was in there now and therefore he knocked again. "Lily, please, just answer me." He waited for several seconds, but again no noise was made and he started to doubt that she would ever answer.

"Occupied," he then heard a voice say and he smiled happily and had to stop himself from laughing at the word that Lily had chosen to use.

"Lily, I know it is you," he said and now leaned against the door behind him. "Not that you give a hoot that I am here, of course, but why are you hiding?" He knew she was probably cursing him and had probably narrowed her eyes. He knew her so well and he also knew that she was too tempted to not answer him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said and James chuckled lightly.

"You know," he said, turning so he now faced the door and he sighed, "can you please open the door? It feels really impersonal talking to you like this." Lily didn't say anything and didn't open the door either, so he decided to just continue. "I came to tell you that ever since I saw you walk away from the Hogwarts' Express, I couldn't seem to stop myself from thinking about you. You are constantly on my mind."

"That's nothing new," she said and snorted loudly. "I've heard this many times when we were still at school."

James sighed. "You're missing the point," he said and leaned his forehead against the door, "at school I could see you every day. Now even though I can't see you every day, you are still always on my mind." Lily snorted again and James sighed. "You don't seem impressed."

"Well, _duh_!" she exclaimed and she kicked the door he was leaning against. "You had at least five girlfriends in between the end of Hogwarts and now! I do read the Daily Prophet, you know!"

James cringed. He had hoped that she didn't know about that. "They didn't mean anything, Lily," he said, "they were temporary."

"And that's the problem!" Lily almost yelled. "Everything is temporary when it comes to you, but I'm sorry, _Potter_, I don't like to be temporary!"

James was silent for a few moments until he let out a heavy sigh. "You really think that, Lily? That you'd be temporary?"

"I'm not any different from those others, James," she said sadly, "I really am nothing special."

James swallowed hard and closed his eyes, letting her words sink in. "That's really how you feel? I can't make you change your mind?" he asked and he feared the answer that was going to come.

"It's better like this, James, really," she said.

He was crushed, but he didn't want to let it show. Before he walked out of the ladies' room he made sure that he did not look too heartbroken in the mirror. He grabbed the doorknob, hesitating for a few seconds and then opened it to walk through the door and close it behind him again.

"Did it work out for you?" asked a high male voice next to him. James turned his head to find a blonde man smiling at him.

"Yes," he said with a smile, "thank you." He buttoned his coat again and walked away from the man, but the man followed him.

"Just so you know," the man said, "I think you handle the quaffle with amazing elegance."

James' eyebrows shut up as he looked at the man again, who smiled brightly, and he nodded. "Well, thank you," he said and looked ahead again, "I do try."

Before he opened another door to leave this department of the hospital his eyes came across a poster hanging on the wall. 'Wanted: a clown to cheer up the children.' He frowned slightly and this didn't go unnoticed by the man.

"Oh, yes," the man said with a sigh, "I need to find the perfect clown for the sick children, to cheer them up, you know." James nodded and let this information sink in. "You don't happen to know a clown, do you?" At this James shook his head and the man sighed again. "Pity, it's just so hard, you know. No one is ever good enough. They're all very creepy."

James kept staring at the poster, an idea forming in his head. If he could show Lily that he was a sincere and compassionate person with humour to add… then maybe she would change her mind.

"Well, if you know someone who might be suited for the job, please send him over."

The man left his side and a smile began to creep up James' cheeks. Oh, yes, he knew someone who would be suited. He only needed the right outfit.

***

She groaned when she heard the door close behind James Potter and again kicked against the door of the small place she sat in. She could not believe that she was sitting on a toilet and that she had spoken to James while sitting on this toilet. She also couldn't believe that she had yelled 'occupied' when he had called out her name several times. But most of all, she could not believe that she had denied him.

She stood up and opened the door and watched herself in the mirror. She looked just as bad as before, but she supposed nothing would make her look better, so honestly, she should just go see her patients. She walked out of the ladies' room and grabbed the papers from the desk to read through them quickly before she would visit her patients.

"You surely know how to scare a guy away," she heard the voice of Dorcas say from next to her.

"I don't want to talk about it, Dorcas. I really don't feel like explaining to you what happened, so please," she looked up at her friend and sent her a stern look, "don't ask any questions."

This was apparently exactly what her friend had hoped she would say. "So, you did not want to scare him away then!" She said triumphantly and Lily sighed.

"Not really," she confessed, "but I also didn't want to be temporary." Dorcas frowned and she sighed as she realised that her friend did not understand. "James Potter loves the chase, but once he has caught you… he gets bored of you."

Dorcas nodded, but she still frowned. "And how do you know you were only temporary?"

"Call it my intuition," she said and sighed again. "Really, James Potter has got a lot to prove before I will believe that he's not just interested because of the thrill of a chase."

**Author's Note: **Thank you all for reading this! I hope you liked it! Please leave a review and let me know what you think! I haven't got much else left to say right now, so... I'll just say bye then! Bye!


	4. Mister Giggle

**All is love**

_Chapter 3: Mister Giggle_

"You really are the first to put some effort into this," the man with the high voice said as he looked James up and down. James felt slightly uncomfortable as the man touched his arm and lifted it. "Purple, blue and green," the man said and nodded approvingly. "What is your name? Don't say Mister Giggle is your name, because if that's true than I will have to take you."

James swallowed and felt his pride and his ego shatter at the same time. "Mister Giggle at your service!" he said and smirked. The white paint that covered his face with the blue and green flowers painted on his cheeks made it harder to smirk than normal.

"Oh," the man stamped his foot and smiled happily, "and I just thought this was a hopeless case! You are the new clown of St. Mungo's, definitely!"

James resisted the urge to pump his fist in the air in triumph and only smiled at the man before him. "Thank you," he said, "what is your name? Seeing you're my colleague now."

"Evan Parker," the man said and smiled widely. "If you could just go and cheer up the children now that would be wonderful! I can't wait to see their bright and happy faces smiling up at you!"

This was the part that James hadn't really given much thought. The actual cheering up of children who had severe illnesses. He had never done something this serious in his life before, yet it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever done in his life before. If only his friends, the Marauders, would see him like this. They wouldn't stop laughing for days.

"Off you go!" Evan Parker said and pointed at one of the rooms that apparently held a sick child. James hesitated for a minute, but then he decided to just go inside and try his best to cheer the boy or girl up.

He opened the door and met a bright and white room. A few drawings of flowers and moving buzzing bees graced the walls and four beds stood in the room. Four beds with four children, three boys and one girl, looking at him. The girl had a bright smile plastered on her pale face, just as two other boys, while another boy eyed him sceptically.

"Hello," he said and he let a grin spread across his face, "I am Mister Giggle, here to cheer you all up!" The girl and the two boys that had been smiling already, chuckled lightly while the boy that had eyed him sceptically yawned.

"Really, you're doing a lousy job so far," the boy said and James did his best to ignore him and walked towards the girl who lay in the far corner of the room.

"What would you like to do?" he asked, hoping that the girl would help him a bit. She looked kind enough, but she only erupted in giggles when he leaned in.

"You look funny," she said and reached out to touch his face. "You really should not wear this kind of make-up, it doesn't look pretty on you."

James was slightly hurt for a few seconds, but he soon laughed together with the children in the room. "Yeah," he said and shrugged, "not too fond of the make-up myself either."

This seemed to interest all of the four children, even the boy who had been eyeing him sceptically ever since he had entered the room. "Why are you a clown then? If you know you're only making a fool out of yourself?"

He didn't want to tell the truth. It wasn't as though the four children would understand, so he merely shrugged and smiled. "I don't know, bad choice of career, I guess."

"What would you rather do then? If you weren't a clown?" asked a timid looking boy with blue eyes.

"I would much rather play Quidditch," he said with a smile.

"Me too!" said the girl and she sat up, her eyes now shining brightly. "When I'm out of here I want to become just as good as James Potter is! He's the best!" When James looked around he saw the boys nod with her, all wore smiles.

James felt a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach and he smiled at the four children. "Well, time to tell me your names," he said and grinned, "because then we can attempt to play some Quidditch together!"

***

"Lily, Lily, Lily!" said an excited Evan as he followed her around in the hospital halls.

"Yes, Evan," she asked as she wrote down some information about one of her patients and frowned slightly. The old woman was not doing well, she had fallen down the stairs and broken her hip. Lily had been forced to give the woman a bone-growing potion, but the woman was in much pain. If only she could do something about it.

"Guess what I found?" he asked and Lily sighed heavily, mumbling 'no idea'. Evan went on, not noticing that Lily wasn't as excited as he was. "I finally found a clown to cheer up the children! Mister Giggle is his name!"

Lily scrunched her nose. "Eww," she said and shivered, "that's a horrible name." She turned around again to walk towards the desk to see if there were any new patients that required her attention. "Are you sure he's not as creepy as the one that came applying for the job before him?"

"Yes," Evan said, now slightly annoyed, "he was not creepy. He had a very good costume as well, better than anything we had seen so far."

Lily snorted. "Better than Mister Rainbow? I think that was a classic," she smiled at the memory and heard Evan sigh exasperatedly.

"Yes, Lily," he said and she knew he was rolling his eyes behind her back, "much better. Will you please stop teasing me?"

Lily turned her head in his direction and stuck out her tongue as she opened the door to a room to check on her four favourite patients. She walked in and closed the door behind her, reading the file and not noticing the noise until she had finished and looked up to see a ball flying towards her. She screamed and jumped away just in time.

She closed her eyes, to steady her breath and she could hear laughing coming from the children and heard the deep chuckling from a male voice. She opened her eyes to find a clown standing in the middle of the room. His face was painted white with two coloured flowers on his cheeks and he wore a costume in purple, blue and green. Something was oddly familiar about him.

"What is going on in here?" she asked, trying to sound sternly. But the giggling of the children made it a lot harder to not just laugh along with them. She knew however, that she should not laugh with them for matters would only become worse.

"We were playing Quidditch," Lola, the only girl together with her in the room said and she smiled brightly. Lily felt her heart melt when she saw the happy smile on Lola's face and she sighed, before sending the four children a stern look.

"I don't think Mrs. Olive will agree," said she, "now will she?"

"Awe," Johnny, the rebel of the group, said, "you won't inform Mrs. Olive, will you, Lily? You like us far too much to tell."

Lily decided to not respond and only shook her head. Those children were impossible, but she loved them dearly. They always made her smile. How bad the day might seem, those children were always able to make her laugh. They somehow reminded her somewhat of the Marauders at Hogwarts. The reminded her of James…

"I think you've all got enough adrenaline pumping through your bodies," she said and eyed the four children sternly, "so, I will send Mister Giggle away. I'm sure there are many other children waiting to be cheered up!"

This last part she told to the clown. He was smiling at her, eyeing her with an amused look in his eyes and Lily again felt that there was something familiar about him.

"Yes, Miss Lily," Mister Giggle said and he bowed for her, sending her a wink. Lily smiled as she saw the clown skip out of the room and she shook her head. She did agree with Evan, Mister Giggle did wear a very good costume.

"So," Lily said as she looked at the children again and heard the door close behind him, "who would like a potion first?" Groans erupted from the children's mouths.

***

She signed another few papers and handed them to one of the nurses. "That should do," she said with a smile and the nurse smiled back and gave her a firm nod and walked away. Lily's neck was throbbing painfully and she stretched herself and tried to massage her muscles, so they would throb a bit less. She had been running around all morning and now her body started protesting, her stomach growling because she was hungry and her neck muscles throbbing in pain.

"You work too much, you workaholic," said a familiar voice and she opened her eyes to find the round face and the kind eyes of a friend staring at her.

"Alice!" she let out and wrapped her arms around her good friend, who she hadn't seen in two months, because she had been busy doing mysterious things. "How are you? What have you been up to?"

Alice smiled. "I am fine and I can't tell you much more, you know that." Lily frowned slightly, but Alice shook her head. "There are many people who would kill me if I told you anything about what I've been up to."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Alice, no one could ever kill you."

Alice smiled again, but this time more sadly. "You know there are people who can, Lily," said her friend and Lily felt a depressing feeling take over her whole body. Alice noticed and smiled brightly again. "But… what have you been up to?"

"Nothing much," Lily said with a shrug, "you know me."

Alice smiled a naughty smile as she leaned in towards Lily. "No young men sweeping you off your feet?" Lily hit Alice's arm and Alice laughed out loud. "I suppose not then."

"I am far too busy to even think about them," she said and then smiled at Alice. "But how is Frank?"

Alice grinned. "Frank is fine, but don't change the subject so suddenly," she said and gave Lily a stern look. "You do need to just relax a bit. A man would do you some good, I swear on Merlin's beard!"

"Really," Lily said with a deep sigh, "I'm an old spinster, you know me. Man and me are not a good combination, I should just get some cats and live happily ever after with them!"

Alice rolled her eyes and was about to speak when she turned her head at someone who had walked by. Lily could feel her stomach flutter slightly when she caught the grin that Mister Giggle sent her.

"I'm having lunch," said Mister Giggle as he sent her a wink.

"So?" Lily asked, trying to sound uninterested and earning a grin from Mister Giggle himself. She shook her head. Really, that clown so thought that she would fall at his feet. But did he look in the mirror that morning?

"Who was that?" Alice asked as Lily had turned her head to shake her head at the clown.

Lily sighed. "That's a clown, Alice," she said, sounding a bit annoyed, "can't you see?"

"Very nice bum," Alice said dreamily and Lily rolled her eyes.

**Author's Note: **Thank you all so much for reading this so far! I hope you liked this one! Please leave a review and let me know what you think!


	5. Not in for the chase

**All is love**

_Chapter 4: Not in for the chase_

The day had seemed to last at least thirty-six hours instead of the normal twenty-four. Lily had never felt so tired before and her whole body ached. Her neck was the worst. It cramped and she could barely turn her head around and this caused her quite a lot of trouble, since she collided with a man who had been rushing down the street just after she had left St. Mungo's.

"Look in front of you, woman!" said the man, sounding irritated. Lily could not help but think that the only thing she had been able to do was look in front of her, since she couldn't turn her head. But she decided not to make a witty remark. She was too tired to do so.

"People are rude, don't you think?" a voice next to her asked. She turned her head with some difficulty and noticed Mister Giggle standing next to her. She almost groaned, but she didn't find the strength to be rude to him or to tell him to please go away.

"Say that again," she said and sent him a small smile. "I'm used to it by now, really."

Mister Giggle nodded. "Yeah," he said and shrugged, "heard quite a few rude comments directed in my direction as well. Most of the time they're right though."

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile as she imagined someone being rude to a clown. What would people say? Insult him, because of the make-up he wore? Or was it his name, Mister Giggle? She shook her head and couldn't help but giggle.

"What?" Mister Giggle asked, but she shook her head and Mister Giggle shrugged. "That's okay. We don't even know each other, right? No need to tell each other about our lives."

She looked at him. Still, seeing something familiar in his face, but she couldn't quite place it. "No," she then answered, "we don't know each other."

Mister Giggle's face turned serious and she had never seen something that funny looking, but she did not laugh. "You do feel the need to tell about your life to a random stranger though."

She sighed heavily and eyed the clown carefully before she nodded reluctantly. "Strangely yes," she said and she smiled to herself, "strangely, I feel the need to tell everything about me to a _clown_."

Mister Giggle laughed at this, but then suddenly stopped. "That did hurt, you know," he said with a smirk on his face, "I might be a clown, but I'm a very good listener. The fact that I wear make-up doesn't make me less human."

She smiled at him and suddenly didn't feel awkward at all to tell him what was bothering her. "You know," she said and she looked at her feet before she continued, "everybody seems to know what is best for me, but I just don't see why it would be best for me to do what they say!"

"You rather don't do what they say and follow your own instincts to become an old spinster with twenty cats surrounding you?" Mister Giggle asked.

Her head snapped up and she narrowed her eyes. "You were eavesdropping on my conversation with my best friend!"

Mister Giggle rubbed the back of his head and sent her a sheepish smile. "Yeah, well, kind of," he said and then he smiled again, "but you weren't being very secretive. I was merely going to lunch and overheard you." She sighed and tried to stay angry with the clown, but she found that she was having much trouble with it. He was just so… she didn't know. There was no word to describe him.

"So, what do you suggest?" she asked him and she cocked one of her eyebrows. "Go to some pub, get drunk and go home with some random guy I meet?"

Mister Giggle chuckled his low chuckle and she felt shivers go up her spine. "Yes," he said, "well, not necessarily some random guy you meet and you don't need to go to a pub and get drunk…" He stopped for a moment and then sent her a seductive smile. "They say I'm quite good when it comes to comforting lonely women."

At first she could not believe her own ears and she also could not believe her own mouth as the words that flowed from them were: "Well, why don't you take me home then?" But somehow she did not really feel this was a mistake. She felt as though this was just what she needed.

***

James could not believe his own luck as he lay on his back with his arms crossed behind his head. Red hair was tickling his chest and the warmth radiating from her body was comforting and satisfying. James really could not believe his own luck.

When she had suggested he'd take her home, he had been flabbergasted for a few moments. His mouth had been on the verge of gaping before he had turned it into yet another seductive smile and had grabbed her arm, so the both of them could find a place to apparate to her apartment.

He still did not really understand why Lily had asked him to come home with him, convinced that she would not be attracted to a clown, but he had understood once Lily's lips had met his and he had lost control. He hadn't been the only one though, because right now he lay in bed together with Lily Evans, both of them not wearing clothes.

He heard her let out a soft sigh and she snuggled into him some more. She had been sleeping for the past two hours, but James hadn't been able to let sleep catch him. Everything was just too surreal and the fact that it was four o'clock in the morning and that he had Quidditch practice at six did not help. He was afraid he would oversleep.

The clock now read four thirty and he knew it was time for him to go home. He had to get his Quidditch gear and then rush to the stadium of 'Puddlemere United' he was so fond of, but he somehow found himself reluctant to leave the bed and Lily alone without him.

But the chaser in him warned him and he slowly untangled Lily's arms from his waist. She didn't wake up, luckily, and he got out off the bed, feeling the cold air surround him. He quickly reached for his boxers and put them on. He did the same with his clown costume and found himself ready to go, but not quite ready to leave the beautiful Lily Evans behind.

He stared at her for a few minutes, watching her red hair splattered across her pillow and the corner of her sweet lips turned up in a smile and after watching her for this long without being able to touch her, he could not resist. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

He had not noticed that her peaceful breathing had stopped. Nor did he notice the fact that the sheets of the bed were wrapped around something or rather someone noisily and just as he was about to apparate he felt an arm catch his and he stopped, feeling his whole body stiffen.

***

"What are you doing?" she asked him as she felt his whole body stiffen under her touch. She had wrapped the sheets of her bed around her, but she still felt the chilly air in the room and this made her shiver. But she did not loosen her grip on his arm.

He turned his head around and gaped at her, before he answered. "I'm going home."

She felt the anger in the pit of her stomach and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that what you always do when you comfort lonely women then?" she asked, quoting the statement he had used earlier that evening or… the evening before, actually.

"I don't…" his eyes were wide and he seemed to be at a loss for words, but he found them again. "I, no… I really don't do this often. I never do this really."

She was a bit confused and loosened her grip on his arm. "You never do what? Sneak out of comfort lonely women?"

"Both," Mister Giggle admitted and she sighed heavily. She let go of his arm and turned around to put the light on, she could barely see his face in the dark and she did prefer talking to someone she could actually see.

"Then I don't understand what you're doing here," she said as she turned back around and she felt her whole body stiffen once she recognised the face that had been hidden underneath the make-up that he had worn the day before.

He clearly didn't understand what was going on, since he eyed her confusedly and concernedly at the same time. She had trouble breathing and swallowed hard, before she decided to question him about it. "Well, I'm happy to hear you didn't stoop that low after school had ended, James," she said and his eyes went wide in fear.

"What?" he asked and he took a few steps backwards. "I'm not… I don't know…" then he seemed to give up and he nodded. "How do you know?"

"Your make-up," she said, trying to sound confident, "it's kind of not there anymore."

He cursed under his breath and his shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry," he said and he looked at his feet, "I suppose I just wouldn't take no as an answer. Not again."

She nodded. Strangely, she understood him and strangely she did not feel angry with him at all. Maybe it even made her feel better about herself, knowing that she hadn't just spent the night with a random clown, but with James Potter, the boy she had known for almost eight years now.

"It's okay," she said and she shrugged. "I'm not angry with you."

He looked up at her. His eyes flashing with something she did not quite recognise. "You're not angry with me?" he asked. He seemed to be confused beyond belief and Lily understood why. Only eighteen hours before she had rejected him, claiming that he was only in for the chase.

"I'm not," she said, a bit confused herself, "I suppose… I kind of hoped it was you."

He frowned slightly. "You hoped it was me? What do you mean?"

She bit her lip before she answered him. "Because that means you're not in for only the chase. It means that I'm not just temporary." She stopped talking and looked at her feet. "At least, I think that's what it means."

He was silent for a while, but she knew he was stepping closer, because she could see his feet coming closer to hers. She felt her heart beat at least ten times faster and she thought that he could hear how it paced ten times quicker. "You thought I was in for the chase?" he asked and she looked up at him now.

"You can't blame me," she said and chuckled lightly, "you're the best chaser in the whole Quidditch league!"

James chuckled himself, but then turned serious. "Lily," he said, his head coming nearer to hers, "with you it has never been about the chase. This is real. This is me, confessing my love and devotion to you."

Her heart was exploding, she knew it was. But she did not really care, because James' lips had found hers and he was kissing her tenderly and with a passion that Lily had felt earlier that night. But the tenderness was new and she knew that this was what she had needed. James Potter was what she had needed and she hoped he realised that she was what he had needed.

"Lily," James took a few steps back. His eyes were sparkling and he took her hands in his. "I have to go. I've got Quidditch practice in about an hour and my coach will kill me if I'm not there…"

She chuckled and pecked his lips, before she answered. "That's why you wanted to leave earlier?" He nodded and she chuckled again. "I'm paranoid, aren't I?" James nodded again and she grinned. "Do you want to have dinner with me tonight?" she asked and now it was James' turn to grin.

"Are you asking me out, Evans?" he asked, his eyes filled with mischief. He leaned in closer and pecked her lips this time. "Yes," he breathed out, "I'm looking forward to it already."

She smiled. "Do wear more normal clothing, please," she said and looked at what he was wearing now. James chuckled and told her he would. "I'll see you at eight, in my apartment then."

A last kiss was shared between the two of them, before James let go and apparated.

Lily let herself fall on her bed. She could not believe her own luck. She really couldn't.

**Author's Note: **Well, here I am again. With an update. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I did... I hadn't planned on Lily kissing a clown, but well... Mister Giggle is rather special, isn't he? Please let me know what you think and leave a review!


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